


To Return What You Gave

by ThinkingSucks



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Study, Disturbing Themes, Explicit Language, Gon Freecs has Long Hair, Happy, Long Hair, M/M, More tags to be added, Pining, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 08:41:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8006107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThinkingSucks/pseuds/ThinkingSucks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Killua hasn't visited Gon once. For the few weeks after Gon and Killua parted ways, they'd sent letters, texted, exchanged calls...then one day Gon never responded. Killua never tried to pursue.</p><p>And one day, they run into each other with initiatives that cross and tangle together into a tight, horribly messy knot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

When Gon saw the green island fluffed with the mist of the sea all those years ago, tears filled his eyes. A plane would have been a faster option to go back to Whale Island. Heck, Ging even offered to pay unneeded money for the flight. Obviously, Gon turned him down, though he had to admit he appreciated the thought from his long lost father. Gon was never one to fly, lest it be important that he take one. Flying was too easy. Too boring, uneventful. He'd rather travel by sea, a broad expanse of deep blue that held more mysteries than it did fact. The sea, which tempests rose from the depths to blast their angers at small, insignificant men. The sea, where starving maelstroms swallowed everything they crossed to merely satisfy their perpetual hunger. The sea, the midwife to pregnant storms that gave birth to furious untamed children whom tossed monstrous waves and electrified the roaring waters. The sea was the seductress for adventure seekers like Gon, who thirsted for that curious taste of death, to whom mystery was irresistible. Gon Freecs may have lost his Nen, but that didn't mean he'd lose his appetite for adventure.

The first week of the trip from the world tree, the quaint ship was attacked by pirates. The captain, Iekika-Kaimana, Gon learned, turned out to be a former pirate and resident of Whale Island, as well as her crew of burly men and women. After fighting a rough battle alongside her, and earning a few new scars, he also discovered she was an emitter, and a strong one at that. Iekika could predict the future, and had taken precautions prior to the attack to ensure the safety of her passengers. Gon flowed quite nicely with her: when she wasn't preoccupied at barking orders to her loyal crew, Gon would sit cross-legged at helm and talk with her.

"You're a hunter? Hm. I've never seen one so young besides your own father," Iekika yawned, leaning back on the base of the wheel. The curls of her dark brown hair fluttered in the wind, her chestnut skin breaking the slightest bit of sweat under the scrutiny of the sun.

"You've met my father?" Gon's laugh tingled in the air like a bell. "I've run into a lot of people who say that."

"Well i's true." The captain sat back up, elbows on her knees, coffee brown eyes studying him, memorizing his face. "Your father's been around a lot of places, an't 'e? Bet 'e's told you the whole lot of stories 'n that world tree, the 'īlio." Gon giggled again at the use of foul language in his native tongue. Iekika leaned over and grabbed the end of his long hair, lifting it up over Gon's head to examine it. "Why'd you keep this? Don't it bring back bad memories?" Gon caught the mass of it, bringing it in front of his shoulder as he stroked it with both hands. He stared at it with a blend of forlorn distance and warmth. He'd told Iekika the whole of how he got it from meeting his friends up to now when she'd questioned his past.

"I don't think I know that well why I kept it," he started. "I think...it feels like I'll lose a piece of myself if I cut it. The memories that come from it aren't the happiest, but I still want to keep them." Gon looked up at the captain, asking with his eyes if she understood. And she did. She wouldn't have kept that bullet in her thigh if she didn't.

"Well, you should wash that hair, Keiki. I's so dirty ma 'and is a lil' greasy." A moist, rainy smell wafted through the air, and seagulls began to cry to each other by the crow's nest, prompting the eye of the ship, Calisto, to take off his hat and try to swat at the birds. Gon and Iekika both knew the signs, however, and shared a and understanding gaze. There was a storm brewing. And a really bad one.

That was how the next week was spent. Defending against the forces of nature as the ocean tried to gulp them down into the pit of her stone cold belly.

Gon had befriended some of the passengers, then. Most of them turned out to be children moving to Whale Island for whatever reasons their parents decided. They were kind, and Gon enjoyed entertaining while parents went off to talk about grown up things. The third and final week was the calmest. Nothing but blue skies and gentle seas, rocking the ship like a baby across her waters. They came upon a few undiscovered marine and aerial species, and Gon was quick to get some photos into his phone to send to Kite. He worked with the Contract Hunters now, on his own separate branch. Gon had explained to Kite that Aunt Mito needed him home at this point, so she ordered him to study the life on and around Whale Island. When Aunt Mito let him go again, Kite's simple words over the phone had been these: "You're a free spirit. You don't have to listen to me anymore. Wander. Explore. Find what I haven't."

So, he almost cried when he saw Whale Island. For the first time in his life, he couldn't exact the emotions he was experiencing at the moment. Nostalgia, maybe? He guessed it was the sadness to say goodbye to an old adventure and open his eyes to a new one. The overwhelming excitement mixed with the sorrow of abandon had left his heart confused, and the only thing his body could think to do was cry. When his feet tapped down on the docks, fisherman he knew called his name with surprise and happiness, jogging up to clap his shoulder, asking how he was feeling, if met Ging. Some of the younger boys and girls ran and gleefully slapped the back of his head with loaves of bread or bunches of lettuce to bring home to their families, begging for juicy details on the adventures they were forbidden from ever embarking on. Gon welcomed it all with open arms, taking his time with everyone until the sun began to set. Iekika kissed both of his cheeks and ruffled his hair, informing him of her sailing schedule and the next time she would return to Whale Island before she set off with a new batch of passengers. Gon smiled, pulling out the small, cheap agenda book he had purchased at a gift shop under the world tree. He would visit Iekika when she came back.

He walked home the slowest he ever had that evening. He was taking it all in: that sprouting bush had gained some beautiful hibiscus, those birds were still as noisy ever, but there was a few new ones he'd never heard before. Babies, most likely. Then he walked up to Aunt Mito's home. His home. The roof seemed redder than it had ever been, and the sides of the house were covered mildew he'd have to clean. Mito was already standing in the doorway. She had wrinkles around the corners of her eyes Gon hadn't seen before. She must have been worried to have aged in such a short time. She still looked like Aunt Mito, though, with her stained apron and sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She smiled, her warm eyes glassy. She opened her arms, and Gon sprinted into them. Dinner that night was the sweetest he ever had. Aunt Mito asked about his time, and he repeated the tales he told to the other islanders (albeit keeping out the more gruesome chapters). Abe occasionally dropped words of wisdom while Mito listened intently.

"What about Killua?" Mito suddenly asked as Gon took a pause. He was telling her about his trip from the world tree. Gon set down the lemonade he was drinking, the homemade kind, a treat from Aunt Mito. The last sip tasted a little too sour. He wasn't angry with Killua for travelling the world with Alluka. That was the last emotion he was feeling, actually. He still felt guilty about dealing with the Chimera ants. About being so selfish with how he felt he didn't consider that he almost broke Killua in the process. Killua had forgiven him, but Gon knew that the memories still hurt him. And all he wanted was to make Killua feel better, he hadn't meant for their adventures to end on that bad a note. Gon was quick to hide how he felt though, and smiled up at Mito. He had a hunch that his aunt already recognized the facade, but kept at it anyway. He would convince her that he was alright.

"He figured out what he wanted to do. He's taking his little sister Alluka to see the world now." Gon cut into the fish he was eating, shoving a bit into his mouth and swallowing it quickly. "She was never allowed to go outside when she was growing up, so Killua wants to show her what she's been missing!" Gon ended his explanation with a bright grin. Mito's eyes had morphed from warm to cool and scrutinizing, and she offered a small 'hm,' in response. She wouldn't get the answer now, anyway. Mito intended for this to be a nice welcome dinner and so it would be. She would have to wheedle answers out of the energetic boy later on. For now, she changed then subject to his hair. She suggested cutting it, and when he refused, she was a little shocked. But, being the accepting woman she is, she sat him down in a bubble bath and washed his hair with her shampoos, even with his constant rejections to it. Gon complained that he was fourteen and would smell like a girl, but he realized well into the bath that it was more to comfort Aunt Mito rather than himself. And he shut up.

 

Gon Freecs sat in the woods now, eighteen years old, scribbling onto his wrinkled notepad about the strange animal that was nuzzling up to his thigh at the moment. Its fur was soft and green, a shining beak that looked like wood, and the largest dark brown eyes Gon had ever seen looked up at him. He smiled, pausing in his writing, and gently massaged the creatures neck with his index finger. He laughed as it rolled and tried to tangle itself in the long braid thrown over his shoulder. Gon was doing as Kite had told him. He was a free spirit, exploring new life and saving it. 

That is until the beetle phone in his pocket started to buzz.


	2. A X New X Mission

It was a cloudless day when Killua received his last message from Gon. He and Alluka were in the Azian Continent, visiting a rural town that had just finished a lovely festival to celebrate the coming of summer. Alluka was making friends with some of the dancers who were stretching out and relaxing after their performance. Killua leaned against the faded yellow brick wall of a small restaurant, keeping a close eye on his little sister from afar. He snickered at the jealousy Gon exhibited through text as Killua bragged about all the places he and Alluka had visited. Gon, in the meantime, told of his tales at sea, and how things managed to take all kinds of turns on the way back to Whale Island.

"Ah, Killua, I have to go. Everybody on the docks wants to talk to me all of the sudden (❁°͈▵°͈). See you soon!" Killua grinned at the use of proper grammar in Gon's messages. Whenever the boy was questioned, he'd always insist that texting that way helped to keep his grammar correct when writing.

"K. t8ke ur time, Alluka & i got places 2 b. l8r." Killua dropped his phone into his pocket, kicked himself off of the wall and walked towards Alluka. She was talking to a handsome teenage boy at the moment, who told Alluka she looked stunning with her hair done up in the town's cultural beads and jewels. The Zoldyck blushed profusely, and contended that it really was nothing. Watching the scene transpire before him, some of Killua's brotherly instinct kicked in, and he threatened the boy. He gave a pretty convincing warning, saying that "if [the boy didn't] piss off, [Killua was] going to kick [his] skinny ass all the way to Yorknew. Or worse." The boy, quaking with fear, awkwardly shuffled away with grand apologies, keeping his eyes glued to steely blue ones in case the hunter decided to pluck his heart out anyway. Needless to say, Alluka wasn't too happy with her brother that day.

On the way back to their tremendously expensive hotel room that night, Killua checked his phone to see if Gon had texted him back. He frowned to see no new messages, but Gon was just spending time at home again, and so Killua had no reason to worry about it. He smiled, then, warming up to the thought of Gon and his Aunt Mito. He surprised himself with that thought. Ever since he met the boy clad head to toe in an unusual green outfit, he'd been selfish with him. It caused him displeasure when he would catch Gon talking with other people, making friends with them, when they offered him things like trips or gifts. He even got uneasy if Gon merely began socializing. Especially with Palm. That was one of the most horrendous experiences of his entire life. Not that he didn't tolerate the reborn Palm now.

Killua started to worry when Gon had not talked to him for three weeks. No phone calls, texts, letters...nothing. Killua was never one to initiate a conversation, but he made the effort of asking Gon if he was okay, where he was, tried calling him. Did he get his feelings hurt by what Killua said that day? Maybe he felt left out? Forgotten? Killua asked, not wanting his friend to be angry with him while they were so far apart. Ever since the day he tried so hard to forget, he felt a passionate urge to protect Gon. The boy lost his Nen, and being a Hunter, that made him far more vulnerable. The ex-assassin felt stones of guilt pile in his heart when he felt sudden pushes to end the trip with Alluka and physically check on Gon. Still no response. Killua put his phone down per his sister's request, realizing that yes, he was checking his phone too often than he usually did. When challenged of the habit, he'd brush it off. Nanika knew better, though, and tried to convince Alluka to probe her brother about it. But she knew since the day his friend walked off to the beyond towering tree, a piece of him left with that boy. She didn't want to push him.

It had been past the half mark of a year. Killua was horribly anxious. He'd check the Hunter website daily, and had had Milluki keep a constant check Gon's status as along with his own thorough research. The information, however, was meager. It was like Gon was trying to disappear off the face of the earth. He learned Gon was alive and well. He was working with Kite and whatever his group was called. Gon was safe. He was okay. Killua had nothing to worry about. Gon probably just needed space because he still felt guilty about what he'd done with Pitou, how he'd made Killua hurt, even though Killua accepted and moved on from apologies countless times. He was fine. Gon was totally fine.

Apparently, Gon needed space for three and a half years.

Killua put it off after a while. He thought that Gon had followed the footsteps of his father. He had followed his passion to explore the world and more, seek out new life, and go where no one has gone before. He missed Gon. He still wanted to try and protect him from afar even though he had absolutely no trace of information about his whereabouts. But Killua had to do his job. He'd chosen a contract hunter, but most people hired him for kills to benefit themselves. Though Gon had taught him a lot about killing, and the difference between murder and justified death, Killua to grew to become a neutral thinker. Whoever he was hired to kill, he killed. That was that. Currently he resided in the Republic of Padokia.

He strolled down the chilled busy streets with a confident kind of swagger, that let people he was dangerous, strong, and downright mysterious. He always carried his valued items in a ratty gym bag. It was a place people least expected anything important to be, hence him keeping it even with his loads of money. Alluka was resting easy at a cafe in a mall far from where Killua's job was to be done. She was with Palm, buying all sorts of clothes and girl things. Alluka was quite beautiful now, at the striking and quite tedious-to-deal-with age of fifteen.

In the midst of fog and light rain in the early evening, Killua kept his Ren regulated to the level of normal citizens in the migrating crowd. Had he been in Zetsu, it would've been plain as day he was on an assassination mission. He was unreadable, and with his old sneakers, basketball shorts and black rain jacket, he appeared as a regular college athlete, among several of which resided in the area. The object of his mission cruised by in a sleek black Tesla, turning a corner a few blocks ahead. The tires were loud despite the boisterous murmur of the crowd. He didn't need to worry about losing it. He could sense the aura in the vehicle hundreds of miles away. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Killua would've used bluetooth, however that would also seem as if he were up to some something secretive. He was aware of spy Nen users patrolling the city, other hunters, so he had to watch what he was saying during the call.

"What up," He answered, cold hawk eyes keeping straight forward. He shifted his gaze occasionally, so as to not seem entirely too focused.

"I saw it pass by you. You aren't thinking of ditching this job, are you?" The gruff voice turned hostile at the end of the inquiry, and Killua had to sharpen his hearing at the low volume he'd set on the phone.

"Me? No. You gotta be a little more patient, babe." It was a little awkward to refer to his technical 'boss' that way, but he needed to do it for the sake of character. He wanted to scold the man for being so close-by, but he had to keep his mouth zipped.

"You better not. That woman his far too important to let go. She's too knowledgeable. I hope you realize what's at stake here."

"'Course I do, sweetheart. Just gimme some more time to get the assignment done, then I'll be on my way tomorrow. Deal?" Killua smirked. His clients always hated when he'd refer to them without too much respect. Especially the impatient ones. He got hung up on after that.

Killua rounded the corner of a crumbling skyscraper, pulling a loaded ring of keys out of his pocket. They jingled quietly, and few people followed the path he took, most keeping to the richer, more lively streets. Dark alleyways were less preferred for obvious reasons. He found the right key quickly as if he had been staying in the squalid apartment for ages-when his actual residence was in a rented condo about an hour flight from where he was at the moment-and opened the door. The putrid stench of cigar smoke wafted out of the building, and Killua's face twitched in disgust at the circular table of old geezers and hags. Each were middle aged and draped over each other as if they were still teenagers. The owner, a bony woman with dry salt and pepper hair, raised her sagging arm from another man's groin and waved.

"When you gonna let me sit on that peanut dick?" She stated, her voice crackly and riddled with years of smoking. Killua felt vomit leap into his chest, but he kept his cool and turned toward the mildly toothy smirk with a polite one of his own.

"Soon as you stop getting passed around the table, you saggy titty dumb bitch." A frown took to her wrinkled face as her fellow goons erupted with laughter. The young man made his way up the creaking stairs, preferring not to spend more time around the lowly group.

"That's a big one outta your rent, fucko. Better watch that mouth next time." Killua grinned. Like that was anything out of his paycheck.

"Thanks grandma!" He shouted back. There was the sound of something hitting the table with a crash, followed with more ugly chortles.

"That's one more!" She sounded more pissed off that time. Perfect. Killua had nothing more to say, and walked up toward his room crawling with maggots and cockroaches. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he sat on the stained mattress, ignoring the slurping sounds and pleasured grunts leaking from the next room. He recounted what he needed to do. He charged himself up before leaving his previous destination, so he was properly electrified already. He needed to chase that car and make a clean kill that seemed accidental. Once the job was done, he'd use god speed for a quick escape route back to the condo where he would meet Alluka and Palm. Then maybe think about Gon for a little while.

Killua stood and strode to the door. With a minor amount of effort, he formed metal planks to attach to every crevice of the archway so that unless another powerful hunter entered the building, the door would not budge. After several years of sharpening his Nen abilities, Killua had become fond of his conjurer skills even though he was a transmuter. He couldn't have the group of three hunters who had been following him get through and find out that his whereabouts were elsewhere. He unzipped his gym bag and set down a cheap portable radio. A few days prior he had recorded the audio of a college student a few rooms down watching porn. It was one of the most humiliating and disgusting things he had ever done in his life-despite not being caught-but he still leaned quietly against the wall with a deadpan expression as he waited for the guy to finish up. He put the disk into the radio as he felt the spies approach the apartment building, and turned up the volume to a realistic level. Killua then transmitted a generous amount of Nen into the mattress while simultaneously dimming his down to Zetsu. With that done, he opened the creaky window to his room, and leapt out of it.

When the spies finally tricked the happy drunks in the lobby to let them pass, they discovered a locked door with a mere young man relieving himself to some tapes. That must have been why his aura felt mildly secretive. The main hunter, a gorgeous woman with dark cocoa skin nodded to her coworkers.

"It was nothing. We'll continue our duty, now," she said with finality. As the men began to descend the stairs, the woman received a call on her phone. "Hello?" The phone slipped from her hand as a hurried, nervous voice explained the news over the horrified murmurs of the city-folk. The men turned at the noise of the clattering device to be met with a vacant expression.

The prime-minister of the Republic of Padokia had just been assassinated.

Who's hands committed such an atrocity were unknown.

 

_____________________

 

"What?!" Gon shouted into the beetle phone. He hopped up off of the ground in shock, his stomach twisting with a combination of mourning, fright, anger, and the dreaded confusion to follow. Cold sweat began to break loose all over his skin, and he paced back and forth anxiously. His other hand pushed back a bit of hair in front of his eyes and gripped it tightly to the crown of his head. The little creature sensed Gon's emotional state, and trailed behind him while concerned whimpers squeaked past its beak. "Stick, if this is another one of your jokes..."

"I don't joke about things like this, Gon. You know me better." The other hunter's tone was much more calm compared to Gon's, but there was still an underlying tone of unease. Shakily, Gon dropped his hand and placed it on his hip, tapping his foot. He felt weightless, fragile all of the sudden, and he gulped down the rising bile. His body still needed time to properly react to the news after the rough transition from tranquility to intense apprehension. 

"Who killed her?"

"They don't know."

"Who doesn't know?"

"You know, the officials."

"Do they have any leads?"

"No. Gon, I don't-"

"Aren't they trying to get information? What's wrong with these people, don't they care about their lives? Their citizens' lives?!"

"Gon." The hunter shut his mouth at Kite's rigid voice entering the phone line. "Calm down this instant. The next official is taking office. Everything is under control." The Republic of Padokia was the second strongest world power, just under that of the Yorubian continent. Gon had also made many friends in and around the Heaven's Arena, and the death of prime-minister, Agnes Bensdoter, would shake the continent enough to reach the edges of the world. Padokia was widely acclaimed for its efforts in preserving the natural parts of the earth as well, which only added to Gon's worry. Gon may have lost his touch with society after being separated from it so long, but that didn't mean he was unaware of world affairs.

He exhaled loudly, slumping against the base of a pine tree. He'd learned the hard way the consequences of ill-controlled temper. "Okay. I'm calm now," he started, his voice much quieter and stable than before than before. "Is...there anything else I should know about?" 

"There's going to be a mandatory Hunter's Association meeting at Sol Angeru discussing the incident. Date and time will be sent to you via Chairman Cheadle Yorkshire. You are already in the Yorubian continent, so you should have no trouble getting there. Am I correct?" Gon knew that Kite was really making an order rather than a question. He sighed.

"Yes. I'll be there."

"Good. Get to somewhere with internet so you can read the details from the association. I'll see you soon." Kite hung up. Gon dropped his arm with the phone still resting in the palm of his hand. He looked up at the sky, flecks of sunlight breaking through the thick roof of pines. Kite was right. He needed to chill out. There were obviously going to be people on the job to take care of things. The little animal gently headbutted his thigh. Gon looked down at it with weak smile, and as it crawled into his lap he stroked the fur of its tiny, delicate head. 

Gon sat for a while like that, thinking. He didn't know who the next secretary in line was, and prime-minister Bensdoter was a very powerful and reliable woman. He was worried that whoever was taking charge wouldn't be able to handle the country as well as she did, especially in mourning of her death. Gon shook his head. He needed to do what Kite said. Get to a city, find out the date of the meeting, go to the meeting. That wouldn't be too difficult. Gon had acquired more skills having to adapt to his now Nenless life, and since he could not rely on sensing aura anymore, his basic human senses were heightened. Even without the power of a hunter, he was still virtually superhuman.

Now that the creature was asleep, he scooped it up in his arms with care and moved it aside. He stood, and with his polished natural ability, quickly climbed to the very top of the pine tree. There were mountains and forests for miles, fading in the blue atmosphere farther out. Gon was in the middle of nowhere, and even with his sharp eyes, he could not see very far beyond the horizon. However, that didn't mean his nose couldn't work for him. He closed his eyes, stood still on a thick branch, and concentrated.

It was very faint, almost absolutely invisible, but it was there: the odor of diesel, the delightful smell of a delicious but probably filthy fast-food restaurant. Gon opened his eyes. 

"Sol Angeru, here I come."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm, I wonder who killed the prime-minister...


	3. Stranger X By X The X Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait but two chapters in I already had a writer's block (,,꒪꒫꒪,,). Hope this chap isn't too rushed...

Gon turned his face toward the pine cluttered sky, closed his eyes to the warm copper rays of dying sunlight, and sniffed. Past the fresh aroma of autumn was the peculiar smell of Sol Angeru, the filthy yet exciting essence of the city being passed along dew riddled branches straight to Gon's nose. There was a even a faint murmur of cars and men to accompany. He opened his eyes, exhaled and shrugged off his travel bag, shedding his worn leather army jacket and threadbare mantle with it. 

The city was still half a days venture from where Gon was in the middle of an ever darkening thicket. His joints were beginning to creak, and his muscles were numb and slackening from a twelve hour journey of nonstop sprinting and hopping along trees. Gon trekked a few feet away from where he dropped his things, and let his hand drift along the skin of a tree.

The bark was damp, the air smelled of fresh rain, and a faint whisper was carried along a cool breeze. There was water nearby, Gon could tell, and the river made passive evidence of its strength just by the environment. He searched the small outer pocket of his bag and found a sturdy triple hook. He'd dealt with feisty rivers early on in life, both through fishing and foolishly swimming in them, almost resulting in him drowning. 

The current of the river was powerful, so there would be large, strong fish pushing against it with ease. They were just the type Gon needed to restock on the energy he'd spent during the day. Stuffing a bright lure into his pocket, Gon sprung into the wild, following the signs the river plastered all over the wood and dirt. The forest eventually thinned, only slightly, and Gon came upon a hill with an old lone willow sat on the edge of it.

It looked over the loud, thrashing white caps as if an appeased spectator to a gruesome war. Gon approached it, and perched himself there, using the rod to move a curtain of beige leaves from his view. Realizing it would become a complication with the light breeze, he smoothed back his hair to the top of his head, and with a practiced hand, he removed a ratty black band from his wrist to tie it. He scooted over to a gap in the willow's drooping branches. 

The spot he chose was a good one, minus the small variables with the wind and his hair. He had a decent scope of the bank on his side and the latter, as well as the falls where a couple of fox bears fished. He looped his hook and lure onto the end of his fishing line, and brought his arms back to launch it. They locked in place when he saw a figure hunched over the far side of the bank.

With a quick intake of breath, sounding like a hiss, Gon moved back behind the willow, dropping the rod at his side. He kept his hands in between his feet as he crouched, in case he needed to rely on the strength of his thighs for a speedy retreat. He narrowed his eyes, sharpening his vision so that he could see in between the fluttering leaves.

The stranger had either seen, heard, or sensed him. Gon guessed it was the first option, for the man had faded blue-eyes that seemed to see straight through every tree in the forest. His skin was browned from endless sun, though already losing its hard color from the coming of the cool seasons. His face twisted into an accusatory frown as he glared, deepening the wrinkles in his face that made him look like a grumpy walnut.

For a moment, Gon felt the unsettling tingle of danger tickle at his torso and arms. Gon furrowed his brow and sunk back onto his haunches even more. With his animal sense of mood, he could tell that the man was being hostile. The stranger was sending out a warning to a potential threat that he was not a force to be reckoned with, lest the attacker want to suffer the consequences. Gon recognized this change in atmosphere, and guessed instead the man had noticed him by the third option. Like finding a lost necessity, or perhaps reopening an old wound, memories of similar moments began to flood his thoughts.

If Gon was four years younger, he would have been mortified. He would have scampered down the back of the cliff where he was hiding and relied on the thick, wide arms of the trees to protect his back. He would have exploded with rage, losing his mind in his own energy, revealing himself and springing forth into battle without a second thought. He would have only one of two gears in his head set forth: Kill. Run.

He was smarter now, though. He was mature. Back then Gon had been a slave to cognitive dissonance, choosing one path and mooring himself to it. Though he learned the hard way, Gon realized that being stubborn in a fight or flight situation was not a good thing. He needed to be malleable, adaptable to any action his foe might take. Especially since he was significantly weaker than before. It took a while, but he accepted the stone cold fact that he was near powerless to other Nen users. But that didn't mean that he was helpless.

Gon froze, still as a granite statue as stormy eyes passed over his form. Seeming satisfied with his silent reconnaissance, the stranger scrubbed some water over his face, tipped his flannel paperboy hat over his eyes, and reclined on a smooth boulder with a stained pipe poking from his lips. Gon snorted and shook his head rapidly to rid himself of the sweet stench of smoke. It was not a smell he was fond of. He kept his eyes on the relaxed form, and slowly move back to the right of the cliff.

He dropped a leg down, immediately finding a foothold in the smooth grey rock. He kept has back toward the cliff so that he still had his vigilance of the trees, planning escape routes or obstacles to use as weapons if the stranger decided to make a move. The Hunter flowed down the jutting rocks like a gentle stream of water, his limbs never quite stopping to find another foothold, but staying quieter than the voices of the wind. When Gon touched down, he moved like a cat, using the golden reeds along the shore to hide his form.

Deciding that he was well hidden, he stopped, and used a hand to move some of the dry grass aside. The fox bears were right in front of him next to the falls. They snorted, shaking their heads and scratching at their muzzles. The larger one, presumably female, lifted her head in the direction of the man all the way to the left of the far bank. She snorted again, opening her long jaw and snapping it twice, her sharp yellowed teeth clacking together loudly. She bellowed, rolling her large shoulders back. The smaller, certainly the male, snarled. Gon tensed. They could smell the smoke from the stranger resting by the riverside, and they did not like that smell on their hunting ground.

The pair tread into the water, the brown fur dampened by the rapids turning black. Gon stayed where he was, one knee on the ground, the other next to his shoulder. He didn't know what to do. He hadn't yet decided whether or not the man was harmless, and he wasn't sure of how strong or experienced he was. Should he go to protect the man, or let him deal with the problem himself? He moved to a wider angle so that the enormous jutting rock didn't block most of his view. The stranger was still lounging there, with his arms crossed over his belly. The pipe in his mouth bounced around slightly at the little tune he seemed to be humming to himself.

The fox bears were close now, low growls rumbling from the depths of their thick furred throats. The man tilted his head up, and his eyes blew wide at the sight of the two vexed animals leering his way. At that moment Gon made his decision. He fell off of his seat, digging up wet sand with the heals of his brown suede shoes as he scooted back. He lifted a hand to try and ease the predators. Gon internally groaned as he migrated out of the reeds. 'Don't do that,' he thought. 'They see that as a challenge for dominance. Act submissive.' Obviously the man was inexperienced with the wild, and continued his act.

"E-easy there, fellas. I just t-takin' a smoke is all," the man spoke, his voice cracking several times throughout the sentence. The male growled, his female counterpart doing the same. Her burly arms protruded more. With a ripple of muscle, they pounced. A garbled scream echoed against the forest walls. Birds flew, and the falls regained control of the silence.

He didn't think it would work. He mostly expected for his plan to backfire, having himself at the mercy of razor talons. After all, angry fox bears were not a force to be reckoned with. Certainly not two of them. But his knowledge prevailed. He knew how they behaved. That they might as well have been just as sentient as himself. With incredible speed, he crossed the river without hesitation, and got on all fours, releasing a growl of his own.

The mammals turned their attention to him, and he leaned back on his haunches, the river water slapping roughly against the hard muscle of his legs. Gon softened then, catching the eyes of both predators. They softened along with him, the growls gradually dying into gentle hums. Gon purred as they approached him, not feeling the slightest bit nervous as they nuzzled his neck, sniffing, memorizing his scent. Gon smiled at the familiarity, memories of Whale Island flashing though his thoughts. He stroked their muzzles with practiced tenderness, closing his eyes. 'It feels like home...'

"Hello?" Gon turned his head away as the male tugged off the tie in his hair-which he was mildly annoyed about-to nose his head more properly. He almost forgot that he was saving someone's life. Slowly, so as not to frighten the man even more, he got to his feet. He rested a hand on each animals' head, keeping them at his sides so as to enforce tranquility. The mist around him cleared. He gazed down at the man before him, whose faded blue eyes looked upon him as if he were some sort of deity. A multitude of emotions flashed in them as the man stood within a trance. Shock, confusion, and then realization. Gon tilted his head, puzzled. The man no longer looked as if death caressed his soul; he was simply meeting with an old comrade. 'What is he thinking...?'


	4. Sol Angeru

He watched as the young man rose above the mist of the river, the long black-green hair being pulled and brushed gently by the wind. The sun outlined his head and his caramel skin with gold, gold brighter but not so striking as the color of his eyes. He looked like a master of nature, with a tamed beast under each of his palms, beasts that were snarling and licking their savage chops a moment ago. As an artist should say, it was if an angel had appeared to the stranger. But the stranger knew, deep within the recesses of his scarred head, who he beheld at the moment, and that the young man _is_ just as an artist should say, an angel.

The young man tilted his head to the side, his brows drawing closer softly in dull apprehension, his plump bottom lip dropping slightly. "Have we met?" He asked. The stranger realized the face he was making, but didn't try to change it. He got up and dusted off the knees of his trousers.

"No, I don't think we have," he confirmed, kicking his shoes against the rock he was slouching on to rid them of mud. "But it's not every day you get rescued from a couple of ravenous beasts. Thank you, son." 

"They're not ravenous." The young man pushed away the heads of the fox bears, and with grunts they splashed off along the edge of the river. He stepped down from his place on the river boulder and trod through the shallows while keeping eye contact with the old man."You were on their hunting ground, so naturally they assumed you were a threat, or prey." He was now only a foot from the stranger. "What are you doing in this forest anyway? You don't look..." he searched for a better word than young or able. "...very well prepared to be here." The stranger's eyes widened, and he looked up and around, observing his environment as if seeing it for the first time.

"Well you're right, I'm not," the old man said with a huff. "I was taking an morning walk through Sol Angeru park, found this little river and took a nap. Next thing I knew two bears was planning to eat me at sundown!" The stranger finished with whistling chuckle that prompted the young man to laugh with him. "Looks like I lost where I was going, but lucky for me a tough young man came to my rescue!" He grinned an oddly white grin and shoved his hands into his pockets. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, uh, Gon." the young man smiled shyly, not bothering to give his last name.

"Well I'll be," the stranger took Gon's hand - to which Gon flinched at as if he forgot something - in his big dry palm and shook it heartily. "You're that boy that defeated Greed Island, ain't that right?" Gon's face turned into one of momentary shock, but the old man continued anyway. "I be Driskoll Dudley the second." Gon found himself giggling at that. The stranger gave him a confused look.

"Sorry, Driskoll -- or, sorry, Mr. Dudley," he corrected, though Mr. Dudley interjected with a _'Driskoll is fine'_. "It's an interesting name, that's all." Driskoll sighed, looking up at the sky. Gon followed his view.

"I been told so." He seemed caught in a memory before he looked at Gon again. "Say, you look like you knows your way around here. You don't mind helping this old sack of bones find his way out, do you?" Gon sighed.

"I wouldn't, but it's to late to start walking to Sol Angeru," he said. "I was going to catch some fish and make camp not too far from here." Gon didn't offer for Driskoll to stay the night, thinking Driskoll would invite himself. After a brief silence, he rubbed his hands together nervously. "I mean," he started hesitantly. "You can stay the night with me, if you want. It would be safer for you and I don't get much company anyway, so..." Driskoll beamed at him. He was a happy guy for someone who had almost gotten mauled. Gon reminded himself to stay alert around him.

"Well why didn'tcha say so? Lead the way, Gon!" He said with enthusiasm. So Gon took him through the river, catching his elbow a few times as Driskoll wasn't a very balanced man. Gon made sure to stand exactly to the side of him to block the current from bullying the old man so often. Then Gon led him through the brush to where he left his things.

"Um, you can stay here and relax, I'll go catch some fish. Please stay put until I get back."

"Sounds like good plan to me."

Gon smiled at Driskoll, but as he turned around to leave the facade dropped. Driskoll...he did have a very intriguing character, Gon thought. His teeth and his eyes...they didn't match with the rest of his face, or his satire. The teeth were totally straight and blindingly white, with healthy pink gums and all, but those could be fake. Abe had fake dentures. But his eyes are what really caught Gon's attention. They appeared old and weary when Gon first met him, but when he really looked at Driskoll, they were a very bright royal blue. Gon felt that he'd seen those eyes before. He'd have to ask Driskoll again if they've met before when he got back.

Catching six fish and disemboweling them put Gon back in his element. It astounded him how awkward and shy he had become when confronted with, well, communicating to another person. Maybe a little time spent with Driskoll wouldn't hurt to improve his weakened social skills a bit. But he still had to be careful with the old man. Strange strangers like him hadn't exactly done Gon well in the past.

He walked back with the fresh catches on a stick, and almost dropped it in surprise. Driskoll had set up a perfect lean-to -- well, not exactly perfect, the stands could be longer and the roof didn't look too sturdy -- but otherwise, for a man who claimed to have no knowledge of this sort of thing he built an impressive shelter. Not only that, but he started a nice fire, too. Driskoll wiped his hands together loudly. He noticed Gon and smiled his very white smile.

"Oh, you're back!" He pulled his pants up lightly and and sat by the fire. "Thought I'd tidy up a bit while you was out catching supper." Gon stabbed the pole of fish into the ground next to the fire.

"Wow," Gon sighed in fascination. "You...you did a really good job of um...tidying up." Another thing that set off an alarm in Gon's head: Driskoll was a lot more spry than by the river. Gon began to consider the notion that this person was under a guise. An exceptional one too, but not good enough to hide everything. Maybe small talk would help inform Gon without blatantly asking, but...he wasn't very good at that, it seemed. Gon pulled a pan from the side of his bag and some herbs he had collected from his travels.

"Ah, you know, I did what I thought was logical." Inconsistent vernacular. Gon hummed and dropped a fish in a pan, handing Driskoll a stick to stab the fish on.

"Are you a hunter?" Gon asked. Blatantly. Which is not at all what he was going for. He wished someone could hit him for his stupidity. Driskoll wouldn't answer him honestly if he was someone under disguise.

"Why yes. How'd you know? Pardon me, but from what I've heard about you, you ain't the inquisitive type." Gon was surprised again by this old man, for a moment. Okay, maybe this guy wasn't as secretive as he thought. And he said he heard about Gon. That was the second time in a few hours he said he knew something about Gon. Gon kept a gentle grin as jerked the pan to flip the fish on the other side. 

"I don't really know, actually. Hunters usually...have some quirk that makes them stand out from other people," Gon said, though he sounded like he was saying it to himself.

"What's so quirky about me? Is it my 'stache? It's my 'stache, isn't it?" Driskoll brought a hand up to pet his salt and pepper mustache. Gon gave a weak laugh. Driskoll was attempting to get him off the subject.

"No, but...you also said you heard I'm not inquisitive. Have you met someone who knows me? Or, are you sure we haven't met before?" Gon lifted out the pan to Driskoll, who actually waved it away.

"You need that food more for tomorrow. Besides, this old grandpa is getting tired," Driskoll punctuated with a dramatic yawn. He walked on his knees to the lean-to and fell over with his back to Gon. He lifted a hand up and waved to Gon. "Night!"

Now Gon was even more unsettled. He know Driskoll wasn't tired, that he just cut off the conversation because Gon was getting somewhere. Not only that, but the way that he said _'grandpa'_ struck a chord in Gon. He'd heard it being said in that sly way before, he could swear it. Gon ate four fish and threw the other two over the trees in the direction of the river, hoping those fox bears would receive the fishes as a gift. Though the lean-to was big enough for both he and Driskoll, he fell sleep by the fire, facing Driskoll's direction.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gon woke up to Driskoll tearing down the lean-to. Well, that he wasn't used to: waking up to someone else. Much less, someone else waking up before him. Driskoll looked oddly taller than yesterday, and a bit more muscular...

"Driskoll...?" Gon called tiredly, rubbing his eyes. He heard a lot of shuffling then, maybe a curse or two, but probably just a trick of the haze of waking up. Gon stood and stretched, clasping his hands and reaching high above him to get those tough spots in his back. He scrubbed his hands down his face again and looked at the old man shrugging overalls onto his shoulders. He looked timid. Gon felt dumb for letting himself fall into deep sleep around Driskoll, if that was even his name. "Driskoll, are you ready to go?"

"Sure! More ready than you, I see. So, how long tills we get to the meeting?" Gon walked to his pile of stuff and shrugged on his jacket and mantle. He held the strap of his bag and looked at Driskoll, realizing what he just said. How did he know Gon was a hunter?

"If we leave now, without breakfast, I'd say..." Gon looked at the old watch inside of his jacket pocket. He never wore it because he never liked the feeling around his wrist. "About three or four in the afternoon. Boy, that's a long trip..." Gon scratched his head, remembering he ran out of his stock of packaged food. Eh, he'd lived through worse. "Oh, how'd you know I was a hunter?" He asked, taking on a purely innocent face. He'd seem less _inquisitive_ that way. Driskoll seemed lost until his face lit up with an answer

"I seen your card," Driskoll grunted, bending over to pluck it out of the dirt. Gon didn't even know it fell out. Because it didn't, he thought. That card was at the bottom of his bag under layers of stuff, and there weren't any holes in his bag that it could have fallen out of. Gon was tired of playing this game of the innocent, so he wheedle the answer out with a little more elbow grease.

"Driskoll," he said to get the stranger's attention. "How come you couldn't defeat those fox bears if you're a hunter too? If I didn't jump down there you would have been killed. Or, did you know I did you know I was on that cliff?" Gon said all this with an attitude of soft curiosity. He thought it would help Driskoll become more trusting around him. Driskoll shrugged.

"I did know you was up there," he explained. "But I didn't know whether you was good or bad. I wanted to make sure you was good so's I pretended to be helpless. In the end you was good." Driskoll grinned as if that explained everything about him. Gon smiled back, motioning them to start walking. Though Driskoll insisted that he could jump along the trees, and that he would follow Gon. That didn't stop Gon from chatting with Driskoll, though.

"So, where did you say you were from again?" Gon questioned.

"East coast, a lil' place called Jerseyshin, south of Yorkshin. You ever been there?"

"No. I remember people in Yorkshin complaining about it though. Is it a bad place?"

"Hell nah, it ain't! Them Yorkshinners always spitting on everybody who ain't Yorkshin. Damned city slickers. Shoobies." As Driskoll went on his rant, Gon noticed the posture of how he moved throughout the trees. He was very swift for his age, probably faster than Gon, and his form was catlike.

"Oh look, the city's right there!" Gon shouted. The thickness of the trees were thinning and Gon could see the blue outline of skyscrapers in the distance. Driskoll let out a scoff.

"Now here you had me believing we was gonna be jumping all day to get there." Gon laughed nervously, uttering a small sorry. Driskoll suddenly picked up his pace, moving below Gon. Gon observed him from this spot and he stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed small electric pulses coming from Driskoll's hands. Driskoll noticed this Gon's halt as well, perching himself flawlessly on a branch.

"What'd we stop for? You need to pee or something?"

"No, I..." Gon gulped. How was he supposed to confront this? After so many years? His eyes started to sting and and looked down to where his feet were, surrounded by dry brown leaves and dead pines. He'd fallen from the tree without noticing. "I know it's you, Killua. Please stop pretending." Killua sighed dramatically, and hopped off the tree branch. As he fell, Driskoll Dudley the second ascended from him like steam.

"Long time no see, Gon _freaks_ ," he drawled, his voice changing from the gravelly old man to smooth and deep. Killua was...tall. Taller than Gon by a whole six inches. His skin was still pale and his hair was still that messy style, but it looked like he stocked up a ton on protein over the years: he was a lot more buff than his fourteen-year-old self. "You have a nicer ass than I remember."


End file.
